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Do you drive with your fog lights on?
- Thread starter halfricanguy
- Start date
Sure, but in a lot of places you have to have the low beam headlights on to have the fog lights on, and if you have your headlights on you would be visible and not need the fog lights.
There are probably also different location, aim, and brightness standards for DRLs vs. fog lights.
My 2014 S calls out DRLs explicitly in the firmware, and they control the perimeter strip of LEDs that go around the headlight units. In the refreshed S, the same perimeter light (with the much smoother diffuser lens) is not considered a DRL?
chronopc
Active Member
TT97
Active Member
On the newer S's, the Signature Lights double as the DRL (I guess they are bright enough on the S to pass as DRL). They are always on when driving except when in Range mode or manually turned off (U.S. only).
Xenoilphobe
Well-Known Member
Not in Virginia - 19VAC30-70-160. Auxiliary Lamps: Backup; Cornering; Driving; Fog; Spot and Warning.
Also fog lights should not be shining in your eyes... they work under the fog line which is usually about 4 to 12 inches from the ground and spreads to the shoulder of the road to illuminate the lines.... not oncoming traffic and good ones are usually amber in color..
Auxiliary/Spot/Floods/Off roads will blind the crap out of you...
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RayK
Active Member
Voted NO. I use the fog lights sometimes, not all the time. Driving highway 17 over to or from Santa Cruz at night they're mostly on. Even when there's no fog. Most of the road is divided with a concrete barrier so it's not affecting oncoming traffic that much. For the cars ahead of me in my lane, it's a wake-up signal that someone is behind them. But the main reason I use them is that it illuminates the road to the sides so I can hopefully see anything that might dart out in front.
On the Model 3, the fog lights can be used with parking lights if you don't want to have your headlights on. Making them amber would require replacing the LEDs with amber ones. That's likely more electrical surgery than most people are comfortable with, since the LEDs are likely soldered onto a circuit board.
Actually they are legal since 2017 in Oregon provided they do not shine out past 75' in front of the vehicle. ORS 811.515 (7) & (8)
mzairboy
Member
Not in Virginia - 19VAC30-70-160. Auxiliary Lamps: Backup; Cornering; Driving; Fog; Spot and Warning.
Also fog lights should not be shining in your eyes... they work under the fog line which is usually about 4 to 12 inches from the ground and spreads to the shoulder of the road to illuminate the lines.... not oncoming traffic and good ones are usually amber in color..
Auxiliary/Spot/Floods/Off roads will blind the crap out of you...
In PA it is legal to drive with low beam and fogs on at same time. I always do with my current vehicles, and plan to with the Model 3. More light for improved visibility never hurts, especially around here where deer tend to jump out of the woods. Since they are factory fog lights which should be aimed according to DOT guidelines, shouldn't be an issue. I have never been blinded by another oncoming car with factory fogs either. However, people around here with trucks and Jeeps like to mount the RIGID LED lights on their bumpers as quoted above. I own a Jeep and it is heavily modified. Even I do not have these lights on my Wrangler. Do I want them? Yes. They are incredibly bright and would be a huge upgrade to the factory lighting options. However they are marked as OFF ROAD USE ONLY, and I know how badly it blinds people. So out of respect to others I do not have these on my vehicle.
Lasairfion
Member
Please do not confuse Front Fog Lights with Running Lights/Driving Lights. They are not the same at all. Fog Lights are specifically for fog and the bulbs, positioning etc are in such a way to help you in fog that does not help when it is not foggy.
In the UK it is illegal to drive with your fog lights on, when visibility is not poor. The fine for improper use is £30. The police can check what type your lights are from the stamped codes in the plastic.
Highway Code:
Rule 226
You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236).
Rule 236
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
In the UK it is illegal to drive with your fog lights on, when visibility is not poor. The fine for improper use is £30. The police can check what type your lights are from the stamped codes in the plastic.
Highway Code:
Rule 226
You MUST use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres (328 feet). You may also use front or rear fog lights but you MUST switch them off when visibility improves (see Rule 236).
Rule 236
You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves.
I believe all states in the US have now allowed fog lights to be used at all times. The states have essentially given up now that so many cars come with fog lights and drivers turn them on all the time. This is for factory lights which point down. If you install your own home brew lights and they point up they would be illegal.
had an argument with daughter's BF about this last month -- he's from MN where their DoT claims DRL's improve safety. However, US NHTSA disagrees. The meta-data out there do not show an improvement in safety for DRL's is good weather, and that is why the US is supposedly "far behind.". (MN DoT's reports were based on bad assumptions on thier data.)
Before y'all Disagree with my post feel free to do your own research on DRL's and NHTSA and meta-analyses.
“The analysis found that DRLs have no statistically significant overall effects…” for passenger vehicles and/or pedestrians….However, there was a “non-statistically significant reduction” in accidents with light trucks..."
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811029
Here’s a nice fog light (no headlights) picture from yesterday.
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